


the night shall call your name (you must answer)

by Fandom_Trash224



Series: Batfam Beyond AU [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman Beyond, DCU
Genre: 90 percent of this is ripped and altered straight from the first 2 eps of batman beyond, Alternate Origin Story, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Barbara Gordon is Oracle, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Cassandra Cain is Batwoman, Damian Wayne is Bateleur, Duke Thomas is Signal, Found Family is Schway, Gen, Jason Todd is Red Hood, My own creation - Freeform, Retired Bruce Wayne, So Sorry about that, Stephanie Brown is retired, Terry McGinnis is Batman, Terry meets the batfam bc they dont all hate each other au, or at least he tries so his kids actually dont all hate him in the future, or at least hes gonna be!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:20:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23746726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandom_Trash224/pseuds/Fandom_Trash224
Summary: Gotham has heroes. Bateleur, Batwoman, The Signal, even Red Hood (even if he did defect to Blüdhaven), and that's only a few of the dozens of vigilantes that have lived and operated within the city. But even with these heroes, even as the city has grown into something that puts its old self to shame, darkness looms in every corner.Terry McGinnis has seen these shadows, lived among them for some time. He's not their biggest fan, but he's not a hero. Not yet, at least.(aka the au where Bruce didn't fuck over all his relationships and the batfam is still kicking when Terry comes a-knockin', based on a blend of comics and the dcau)
Relationships: Batfamily Members & Barbara Gordon, Cassandra Cain & Terry McGinnis, Stephanie Brown & Terry McGinnis, Terry McGinnis & Bruce Wayne, Terry McGinnis & Damian Wayne, Terry McGinnis & Jason Todd
Series: Batfam Beyond AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1710604
Comments: 13
Kudos: 190





	the night shall call your name (you must answer)

**Author's Note:**

> HUGE shoutout to dottie_wan_kenobi for beta-ing this! and shoutout to that entire discord for giving me the strength to power through it! 
> 
> i can't believe i managed to squeeze this many words out after weeks of nothing. yell heah.

Terry McGinnis was not a hero, not by any stretch of the imagination.

He didn’t have any sort of delusions about it. Gotham had heroes, like The Signal, or Bateleur, or Batwoman, or even Red Hood, even if he operated more in Blüdhaven than Gotham nowadays. He wasn’t like them, going out at night in a costume, beating up anyone who caused trouble. Honestly, Terry  _ had _ been the one getting beat up by them, once, though it was less of a beating, more of “Terry tried to hit Bateleur with a pipe and woke up tied up to Charlie as the police arrived”, but the point still stood.

Terry wasn’t a hero, but  _ damn _ did he have the tendencies of one.

Like earlier that morning, when that clown thug had been bothering the woman. Terry hadn’t even known her, but he was sick and tired of watching The Jokerz reign over the city. The Signal wasn’t nearby, and since it was day, it was unlikely that any of the other vigilantes would appear to put a stop to it. He had seen the guy take her purse, seen the way the other passengers looked away, too afraid to do anything, and something in him snapped, anger clouding both his vision and judgement.

Part of him had been relieved that the Joker had gotten away. The rest of him had been pissed that he hadn’t gotten the chance to wail on him more, at least until The Signal or the police got there to take the creep in.

Of course, that same temper had gotten him into a fight at school, which had led to his dad grounding him. And of course, that only made it flare up again, and Terry said some things that, honestly, he felt bad about as soon as he stormed out, but his own pride refused to let him go back.

Which was what led Terry to the  _ second _ time his heroic tendencies popped up that day.

Terry’s temper had already been bubbling just at the  _ sight _ of Nelson Nash, but when The Jokerz showed up and started wrecking havoc,  _ especially _ when one of them started messing with Dana, well… Terry saw red.

Which was why he was now riding a stolen motorcycle through the streets of Gotham in a desperate attempt to  _ not _ get killed by a bunch of clown-costumed freaks with no help in sight.

Terry McGinnis wasn’t a hero, but it was times like that that he wondered just where the hell they were.

\---

“Leave him alone,” the gruff voice cut through the two opposing sides, snapping Terry’s gaze to the source of it. “And get off my property. You’re trespassing.”

Holy shit. 

“Bruce Wayne?” Terry whispered, but if any of the Jokerz noticed, they didn’t care. Instead, they all just glared at him.

“Oh, are we now?” The girl said, revving her bike slightly. Terry took a step forward, placing a hand out to try and gesture for the older man to back up. 

“It’s okay,” Terry said, ignoring the fact that he was likely going to have to explain several bruises and scratches to his dad when he finally got home, “I can handle this.”

“I’m sure you can,” Wayne replied, glancing at the clowns. “But I figure it never hurts to lend a hand. Even if it’s to deal with vermin.”

“Who d’ya think you’re talking to, old man?” Their leader growled, getting off his bike just so he could get into Wayne’s face, chuckling as he grabbed the older man by his jacket. “We’re The Jokerz!”

“Sure you are.”

_ That _ pissed the leader off, and he swung back his fist to land a blow. Before Terry could make a move to try and protect him, Wayne took a step back, avoiding the blow with ease once, twice,  _ three _ times, before raising his cane and swinging it down. The Joker stumbled back, apparently not having expected such a vicious counter-attack from such an old man. Honestly, Terry hadn’t been expecting it either, but he wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth, and quickly ran to post up by the old man’s side.

In a flash, the other Jokerz descended on them, Wayne disarming the knife-wielding one with ease, batting him and another Joker to the side without much effort. Terry managed to evade an attack with a well-placed jump and kick. The two of them kept brawling, not taking a hit between them, until the clown gang were moaning and groaning on the ground. The leader, grunting in pain, managed to get up onto his motorcycle, sending a glare towards Terry.

“C’mon, let’s split!” He shouted, turning and driving off, the rest of the Jokerz quickly following. Terry couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride, not to mention awe at the fact that  _ Bruce fucking Wayne  _ just helped him fend off those idiots.

“Man, you’re somethin’... I’ve never seen anyone--” Terry was cut off by the sound of Wayne’s ragged breathing, his cane hitting the ground with a hollow  _ thud _ and the old man leaned up against the stone pillar of the gate. Terry ran over, hovering just behind him, unsure of what to do. “Are you okay?”

“M-my medicine…” Wayne panted softly, and Terry had to grab the old man by his arm to keep him from collapsing. “It’s… In the house…”

With the click of a remote, the gate opened. Terry slung Wayne’s arm over his shoulders, taking on as much weight as he could and handing Wayne his fallen cane. The two walked through slowly, Terry doing his best to keep Wayne from falling flat on his face as they made their way up to the large, lit-up structure. 

They were stopped by a very loud german shepherd began barking at them, though it seemed less aggressive, more…  _ excited _ . It still made Terry nervous, and he couldn’t stop himself from instinctively taking a step back. Wayne held out his cane, keeping the dog at a distance, which honestly, Terry was fairly thankful for.

“Down, Ace! Take it easy.” 

The dog, Ace, did as it was told, opting to instead follow behind the pair as they made their way up to the manor. Terry cleared his throat, trying to avoid the fact that he had been made uncomfortable by a  _ happy _ dog.

“Nice dog.” Nailed it.

“He is,” Wayne agreed. “He seems to like you.”

\---

With the amount of lights on in the Manor, Terry should’ve figured there were other people home, but it was still pretty surprising to see an older woman, her blonde hair streaked with grey, practically bounding towards them the moment they walked through the door.

“Oh my God, Bruce!” She cried out, “What happened?”

“There were these guys, The Jokerz,” Terry answered for him. “They were chasing me. Mr. Wayne saved my life, but he, uh, he said something about medicine?”

“Those guys again… Right. I’ll set him down in the den, it’s here on the first floor, just over there.” She pointed at an ajar door. “His meds should be in his room. They’re on the second floor, turn right as soon as you hit it, it’s the last door on the left. I think he keeps them on his right nightstand.”

Terry nodded, running up the steps and following the woman’s instructions to the letter. The pills were exactly where she said they were, so it wasn’t long before he was jogging into the den, handing the woman the pills. She then transferred them to Wayne himself, along with a glass of water to take them with. 

Terry watched as relief washed over both their faces, and he couldn’t help but feel…  _ uncomfortable _ . Like he was intruding on something he wasn’t privy to. 

“Thank you, Stephanie,” Wayne said, then looking at Terry. “And you, Mr…?”

“Uh, McGinnis. Terrence McGinnis. Most people just call me Terry, though.”

“Thank you, Terry,” Wayne said, leaning his head back with a sigh. The woman, Stephanie, shook her head at him, a fond expression on her face. 

Terry cleared his throat. “No problem. I, uh, I gotta get home. My dad’s probably wondering where I am, and--”

A loud thunderclap sounded outside, causing all three people to jump. Terry looked outside, and, not for the first time, was convinced the universe was conspiring against him as it began to  _ pour _ . 

“Looks like you’re stuck here for a bit,” Stephanie said with an apologetic smile. “Why don’t you give your dad a call. You’ll get the best cell signal in the study. Take a left out of here, third door on your right.”

Terry nodded, more than happy to remove himself from the situation. 

\---

As Terry was about to unlock his phone, a million potential apologies to his dad whirling through his mind, a sudden noise pulled his attention away, bringing his gaze to an ornate grandfather clock that made its home between two large bookshelves. He slowly made his way towards it, pocketing his phone once more, his eyebrows furrowing as he realized what the sound was: a small creature trapped inside of it.

No, not just a creature…

“A bat?” Terry asked, as if there was someone around to answer. As if it heard him, it began to struggle more, beating its wings against the glass in a futile attempt to escape, and Terry made a soft shushing noise, opening the case. “I’ll get you out of there. Just don’t bite me.”

He made an attempt to pull the clock face away, his fingers gliding over the glass surface before one of his nails hit a small bump on the edge of it. Suddenly, the clock slid back and away, freeing the bat and revealing a long, dark staircase leading down.

_ What the fuck? _

Terry, against his better judgement, cautiously began descending the steps, following the bat down until he finally made his way into a large, well-lit cave. It took Terry several moments to figure out exactly what he was looking at, but once he did, his jaw nearly dropped.

The car, the motorcycles, the different trophies, the  _ everything _ , there was no doubt in Terry’s mind about where he had just ended up.

_ The Batcave _ .

“Woah…” Terry said quietly, hopping over the last few steps into the cave itself. The sound of something hissing softly behind him had him whirling around, ready to defend himself. Instead, he managed to restrain himself from punching a glass case with a suit in it.

Not just  _ a  _ suit.  _ The _ suit. The  _ Batman _ suit, the  _ original _ one. 

“Jeez… No  _ wonder _ he could fight!”

There were others, too. Nightwing, Red Robin, two different Batgirl suits, and even a couple different versions of the Robin costume, and a purple one that he vaguely recalled belonging to a vigilante called Spoiler, though he admittedly didn’t know as much about her. She had mostly kept to the suburbs, from what he knew.

There was also  _ another _ case, but before Terry could investigate it, he smacked upside the head, hitting the ground  _ hard _ . He looked up in a panic, staring straight into the face of someone he recognized all too well. He had seen it all over the news, hell, he had seen it up close when he had been caught and sent to juvie. 

It was Bateleur, and even with the mask, Terry could tell he was  _ pissed _ .

“If you value your limbs,” the vigilante hissed, “You will  _ leave _ and  _ never _ return.”

Terry scrambled to his feet, staring in shock for only a moment before he booked it. Through the clock, the manor, the front door, and he didn’t slow down until he was about halfway back to the entrance gate. Ace, who had been friendly earlier, was now all but shoving him out, growling softly as he did. 

“Alright, I’m goin’!” Terry said, walking through the open gate. As it shut behind him, he turned, and saw the form of Bateleur standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Stephanie. She didn’t look too happy, either. Terry couldn’t help but shout what he said next, annoyed with their reactions, “It’s not like I did anything wrong!”

The two figures didn’t answer, opting to just turn around and make their way back. Terry was thankful it had stopped raining, at least for the time-being.

“Freaks…” He muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets as he began the long trek back to civilization. Still, some part of him felt…  _ disappointed _ , an itch growing under his skin.

He sighed. Dad was going to be  _ pissed _ .

\---

“He’s just a kid, Dami,” Barbara said, watching the shuttle travel through the streets of Gotham through the ungodly amount of traffic cameras that had been installed. “Terrence McGinnis, seventeen, goes to Hamilton High. Used to be involved with a small gang, got arrested at thirteen, spent a few months in juvie, and he’s been playing it pretty straight ever since. The most I can see on his file are reports of anger issues. He’s been in more than a few fights.”

“He’s a delinquent,” Damian stated. “We need to ensure he won’t tell anyone about what he witnessed tonight.” 

“You scared him enough that I doubt he’ll be telling anyone.” Barbara felt her lips twitch upward as she continued to read everything she could find on this “Terry” kid, which, of course, was everything. “You know, he almost reminds me of the kind of kid Bruce would’ve taken in when we were younger. Only thing he’s missing is being an orphan. Of course, his parents are divorced, but they’re still alive. Looks like dad got Terry, and mom got his little brother Matt.”

“It doesn’t matter  _ who _ he reminds you of. He’s a security risk, and must be treated as such.”

“Whatever you say, Damia-- Hold on, something’s wrong.”

“What? What is it?”

Barbara ignored Damian, watching close as Terry exited the shuttle nearby his home. There were police cruisers everywhere in front of it, various officers questioning Terry’s neighbors, some looking more rattled than others. It didn’t take much to get into the house’s camera feed, and Barbara was more than thankful that it also had audio. 

She noticed that there were several hours of tape missing from the system, but she was too enraptured by the scene in front of her to focus on it, making a mental note to look into it later.

“Dad?” Terry called out, staring in horror at the various graffitti decorating the walls of the hallway. Then, a quiet, horrified, “Oh my God…”

She watched as Terry ran up the stairs, straight into two of the CSI team members. A woman, who Barbara assumed was his mom, called out to him before rushing forward, pulling him into a tight hug. Terry just looked dazed, almost as if he were in a trance. He spoke like it, too.

“Mom… What happened?” Terry asked quietly. His mother looked almost on the verge of tears, but she sounded much stronger when she spoke. It reminded Barbara of the way her father used to speak when he had to deliver bad news that hurt them both.

“A robbery,” his mother said, her hands not leaving his shoulders, even as she glanced behind her. “Police think it was The Jokerz. They surprised your father.”

“Where is he?” Terry’s voice shook, and Barbara could feel her stomach opening into a pit. “Where’s dad?”

“Honey, I…” His mother trailed off, looking away. Even through the cameras, Barbara could see the way Terry’s breath hitched.

“Dad?” Terry called out again, moving past his mother and towards the broken door.

“Oh…” Barbara whispered, watching in horror as Terry shoved past the officers, calling out for his father. “Oh  _ God _ .”

\---

“--The things I said…” the teen on the screen sobbed, squeezing himself tighter into his mother’s embrace. “I’m such a jerk…”

“He blames himself,” Damian said quietly.

“Sounds like someone else we know,” Barbara murmured. Then, switching tracks, she spoke to the assembled group, “I think there’s something more to this. There was security footage missing, as if someone went into the system and erased the data afterwards. If this was The Jokerz, they wouldn’t have even bothered with it. They would’ve  _ wanted _ the world to know who it was,  _ especially _ if it was to get back at someone.”

“Cover-up?” Duke asked, having freshly switched out of his uniform.

“It would certainly seem that way…” Damian muttered, and Cass took her cowl off before signing. 

“But who?” 

“I don’t know, but something tells me we’re gonna need all hands on deck. I’ll get in touch with Jason, see if he can come over for a bit, and I’ll dig up what I can about the kid’s father.”

“A good idea,” Damian said, nodding. He turned to Cass and Duke. “Keep your normal patrol routes for now. We don’t want whoever this is to figure out we’re watching them. Father and I will watch over the McGinnis household to ensure their lives are not still in danger.”

The assembled group nodded, and broke apart, doing as they planned, and it only took two days for them to get what they needed.

Of course, when  Terry  just _came to them_ with the information, it was mildly surprising. 

\---

“Hey, I know you guys are in there! Something stinks in Powers’ company! I… I think it cost my old man his life! The answer’s on this disk he had. I’d take it to the cops, but we all know how cozy they are with the guy! You guys are heroes, how about you takin’ a look!”

The only response Terry got was the sound of wind whistling in his ears, picking up slightly as lightning flashed in the distance. Terry couldn’t stop the anger from rising in the back of his throat. 

“Fine! If you won’t deal with it, I’ll find a way to--”

“Terrence McGinnis,” the sudden, harsh voice caused Terry to nearly jump out of his skin, and the teen whirled around to see the now-unmasked Bateleur. “Come with me.”

Terry opened his mouth, mostly because he wanted to say something about not wanting to be bossed around, or the fact that Bateleur was  _ Damian fucking Wayne _ , but the sour expression on the older man’s face had him quickly closing it again. The gates to the manor’s grounds creaked open, and the pair entered together, quickly greeted by the soft sound of a growling dog.

Before Damian could even say anything, Terry was already holding a hand out towards Ace in a sort of “stay down” gesture.

“Calm down, Scooby. I was invited.” Terry said dryly. It earned a glare from Damian.

“His  _ name _ is Ace the Second. And you are here only because of your accusations. If it weren’t for that, I would’ve thrown you out again.”

“Right. ‘Course…” Terry muttered. That earned another glare from Damian, but they otherwise traveled in silence to the Batcave.

\---

Bruce was sitting at the computer by the time they got to the cave, apparently in the middle of a rather heated argument with someone over comms.

“Dammit, Hood just-- Will you  _ listen _ \-- Hood. Hood!” The elder pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling heavily, “Oracle, try to get him back. At least keep him from getting himself  _ killed _ .”

“Father,” Damian announced, “Terrence is here--”

“Would it kill you to just call me Terry?”

“ _ McGinnis _ is here with that disk.”

Bruce turned towards them, any hints at the previous annoyance dissipating into a cold, calculating stare. It made Terry’s skin itch, like Bruce was staring  _ into _ him, trying to figure out everything about him before Terry even opened his mouth. Considering Batman used to be known as “The World’s Greatest Detective”, Terry was pretty sure that Bruce probably  _ could _ have, but Terry had been judged enough in his (admittedly) short life, so he couldn’t help but feel a spike of indignation. 

“Here.” Terry handed the disc over to the elderly man, who took it with a soft grunt of affirmation before turning to the computer. 

“What idiocy has Hood gotten himself into now?” Damian asked, though Terry supposed it would be more accurate to refer to him as Bateleur again, since the mask was on again, and he was using the same voice he had used to chase Terry away before. 

“The usual,” Bruce replied, voice gruff as he tapped away at the computer. “He’ll probably need backup.”

“Of course he will…” Bateleur muttered, glancing between Terry and Bruce warily, “I’ll leave now. If this fool attempts  _ anything _ \--”

“He won’t,” Bruce said, throwing Terry a glance. “He knows better.”

Okay,  _ that _ pissed Terry off. Yeah, he knew better than to try anything against someone who used to be Batman, but the way they were talking about him as if he wasn’t even there, putting words in his mouth, making  _ assumptions _ \--

_ Deep breaths, Terry. Keep your cool. _

“Right,” Terry gritted out, “Of course.”

That response was apparently enough for Bateleur, because the vigilante nodded before heading straight for one of the most  _ beautiful _ motorcycles Terry had ever seen. Holy shit.

As Bateleur sped off, leaving Terry alone with Bruce as they waited for the information to be decrypted, Terry couldn’t help but be drawn back towards the glass case of various costumes from before. The black and red suit kept catching Terry’s eye, and distantly,  _ very _ distantly, Terry recalled seeing the suit on TV once, before Batman had stopped appearing. The thought of the old man at the computer still operating as Batman just about  _ six _ years ago… How was that even possible?

“That son of a…” Terry glanced over his shoulder at the sound of the voice, watching as Bruce stared at the screen, practically trembling with rage. “Powers is experimenting on people to make nerve gas. He’s using  _ my city _ to make  _ nerve gas _ …” 

Terry turned back to the case, and without thinking, opened it to get a closer look at the suit inside. He could hear Bruce telling him to stay away from it, but he ignored him, opting to get closer. Terry couldn’t help but let out a low whistle. 

“Synaptic controls, neuromuscular amplification, flight capability… This may be old, but it’s still cutting edge. Bet it amplifies your strength at least ten to one.” It really was impressive. Terry wasn’t the smartest guy at Hamilton High, but he liked to think he knew tech pretty well, and what he was looking at was  _ good _ . No, better than good — it was amazing.

“I told you not to touch it.” Bruce growled, and honestly, Terry hadn’t realized he  _ had  _ been reaching for it. Mildly flustered, he cleared his throat.

“Aren’t you going to--”

“No.”

“What?!” Terry felt white-hot anger race through his veins again, “You gotta be kiddin’ me. You find out Powers is using innocent people to test nerve gas that he’s gonna use for  _ who-knows-what _ , or worse, sell to  _ who-knows-who _ , and you’re not even gonna do anything about it?”

“We  _ will _ ,” Bruce ground out, handing the disc back to Terry. “Get this disc to a woman named Barbara Gordon. She works at the library. Tell her I sent you.”

“A librarian,” Terry said dryly, “You want me to go and give this to a librarian? Can’t you just like… Upload to her?”

“Uploading something like this is too risky, putting it in any sort of cloud has the chance of someone else seeing it, no matter how secure we think it is. Plus, if there’s anyone who can use this to take down Powers, it’s her. Now,  _ do it _ .”

Terry looked at Bruce in the eyes, huffing slightly as he took the disc.

“Fine. Tell your demon-spawn he won’t have to worry about me snooping anymore.”

And with that, Terry was on his way, and he didn’t even notice the slight upturn to Bruce’s lips.

\---

Terry was really starting to think he was either an idiot or that he had lost his marbles. Or maybe a bit of both.

The cave was quiet, dimly lit, and, from what Terry could tell, completely unoccupied. Good. Something told him that if Bateleur caught him again, especially after tying up his dog, it wouldn’t end well, especially considering his intentions.

He approached the red and black batsuit slowly, as if it could leap out and attack him at any moment. He placed a hand on the glass of the case, staring at his own reflection on the cowl, mesmerized. It was also then that he noticed a figure creeping up behind him.

He whirled around, back against the casing, staring at the black and gold costume of Batwoman. Terry swallowed. He was fucked either way, so why not at least  _ try _ to talk?

“Listen, I know what this looks like, but--” Terry shut up as Batwoman held up a hand. He couldn’t see through the black eyeholes of the mask, but he could  _ feel _ her assessing gaze on him, as if she were reading him like a book. It made Terry feel twitchy. “Listen, they… I think they killed my dad. They killed my dad, and took the only evidence I had against them, and they’re probably going to hurt more people if we don’t stop them, I have to… I can’t just let this go. I can’t let them get away with it.  _ Please _ .”

Batwoman didn’t say anything, only tilting her head slightly as he spoke. Then, though he couldn’t see her mouth through the cowl, Terry was fairly sure she  _ smiled _ , and gestured towards the suit. It was his to take, and Terry wanted to cry in relief, but there was no time.

“Thank you.” He said quietly before turning around and opening the case.

\---

“Father,” Damian’s voice was mildly panicked, pulling Bruce away from the news program on the TV, “I think we have a problem.”

The TV was switched off the instant those words left the younger man’s lips, Bruce all but leaping out of the chair, much to the dismay of his old bones.

“What is it?” Bruce asked, all business. 

“I found Ace tied up by the front gate. I freed him, and he ran straight to the cave. I believe we have an intruder, and I think we  _ both _ know who it is.”

Bruce scowled, storming alongside Damian down to the cave, where Cass stood, smiling as she gave Ace soft scratches behind the ears. For a moment, it almost looked like it was a false alarm, until Bruce’s gaze leveled on the empty case.

“That little  _ thief _ ,” Damian spat, summarizing Bruce’s thoughts perfectly. Bruce turned to Cass, who stood up, looking him in the eye.

“What happened?” Bruce asked, “I thought you were watching the cave.”

“I am.” Cass signed, as if everything was normal and hunky-dory.

“Where’s the batsuit?”

“In good hands.” Her smile didn’t even falter. 

“Dammit… Damian, get out there and start looking for the kid before he gets himself killed. Have Oracle and Hood help you. Cass, we’ll talk about this  _ later _ .”

Cass only shrugged, but Damian was practically already gone, having been about to go on patrol anyways. Bruce took his place at the computer, and, not for the first time, thought about how  _ simple _ being Batman used to be.

\---

“Hood, report.”

The sudden voice in his ear caused Jason, who had rather been enjoying a mostly quiet patrol, to flinch slightly. It was a damn good thing he had been perched already, otherwise he’d chew Damian out for almost getting him killed.

“This is Hood,” Jason said into the comm. “It’s been quiet. Kinda weird, compared to Blüdhaven.”

“So you’re not busy?”

“Nope. Kinda bored, actually, was thinking about swinging by Mayo’s hot dog place-- It’s still around, right?”

“Satisfy your cravings later, we have a situation.”

“Figures. By the time it’s over, Mayo’s place is gonna be closed--”

“ _ Focus _ , Hood,” Damian hissed, “I’ve just patched Oracle into the line. What is your current location?”

“I’m in Old Gotham, near the old GCPD station. Why?”

“Someone stole the batsuit,” Damian said, then, after a pause, “The  _ newer _ batsuit. I need you to keep watch for him, follow him, and apprehend him through any means necessary.”

Oh shit.

“Oh shit.”

“Agreed.”

“Based on what you told me, Bateleur,” Barbara started, “I’d say it’d be best to keep your search in the main city, probably closer to the upper west side.”

“You think he’s going after Powers?” Damian asked.

“It’s possible. If he really thinks Powers has any sort of connection to his father’s death… Who  _ knows _ what he’ll do, especially with  _ that _ suit.”

“Right,” Jason said, standing up, “I’ll search near the Powers Towers. You wanna handle the other parts of proper Gotham Lil’ B?”

“I’ll take it. Bateleur out.”

Jason sighed, using his grapple to traverse the dark and dilapidated buildings of Old Gotham until the world became new and shiny again. It gave Jason the vague impression of traveling through time, stepping straight from the comfortable past into the way-too-bright future, completely skipping over the present without warning. If Jason allowed himself a moment, his heart would ache over how much his city had changed since his street-rat days, but there wasn’t time for that. He had a batsuit thief to catch.

“Speak of the devil…” Jason muttered, watching as he saw a figure clumsily gliding through the air. “This is Hood to all points: I have eyes on the target. He’s about two or three blocks from Powers’ HQ. I’m going after him.”

“Careful, Hood. The suit’s no joke, regardless of who’s in it,” Oracle warned, and Jason had to snort as he watched the kid in the suit tumble onto a rooftop, unable to keep himself airborne.

“Right. Got it.”

Jason grappled his way closer to the ledge that the thief was perched on. Before he could get there, though, he was already running forward, leaping into the air and gliding once more. This time, however, he seemed to gain control of himself, even being able to activate the rocket boosters and making a (rather showboat-y) landing on the edge of the tower. 

Jason perched himself on the building the kid had been on before, taking a moment to just…  _ watch _ . There was something about the kid that made him want to take a moment, see what he was going to do. More than that, Jason saw movement in the window to Powers’ office, where he saw--

“Hood reporting in. Looks like Powers and Fixx are having a meeting with that guy from Kaznia or whatever,” Jason said, squinting as his HUD zoomed in on the figures, “They’re giving some sort of presentation on-- Oh  _ shit _ .”

Jason watched in absolute horror as they sprayed some kind of gas onto the plant on the screen, the poor fern dissolving in a matter of moments. As they moved on from the plant to an actual  _ cow _ , he was suddenly rather glad he had taken up that area instead of Damian. He didn’t even  _ want _ to think about his baby brother’s reaction to that footage.

“Oracle, you seein’ this?”

“I am… This is worse than normal nerve gas. This is… This is  _ bad _ .”

“No wonder the kid wants to get this guy so bad. This is some  _ fucked _ up shit.”

“Wait,” Damian’s voice came over the comms, “McGinnis never gave you the disc?”

“What disc?” Barbara asked, and Damian let out a series of swears in Arabic that were so bad, Jason almost had the urge to wash his mouth out with soap.

“That makes him both a liar  _ and  _ a thief, now. We  _ never _ should have trusted that delinquent.”

“Hey!” Jason said indignantly, though he didn’t really feel like that. It was more of a way to razz Damian than anything.

“Hood, you  _ must _ apprehend him,  _ now _ \--”

“Hang on, Lil’ B,” Jason muttered, squinting his eyes and watching as the kid drew closer to the window, placing two fingers onto the glass. “I think he’s onto something here.”

“I agree,” Oracle’s voice came over the comms, loud and clear as always, “I’ve got direct access to his audio feed… This is  _ sick _ , no wonder Powers didn’t want this getting out-- Wait, hold on.”

“What is it?” Jason and Damian asked at the same time, which was  _ weird _ . 

“They’re loading canisters of the nerve gas for delivery as we speak. This is bad.”

“I will be there shortly. Hood, I know you need to get back to--”

“It’ll be fine. I think ‘Haven can handle another night without me.”

“Guys,” Oracle cut in again, her voice shaken, “There’s more. Powers  _ really  _ wants this kid dead, he’s worried he’s gonna blow the lid open on the whole operation.”

“So… We need to pick up babysitting duty, too?” Jason asked, and he heard Damian sigh in frustration over the line.

“It’s not just that.” Oracle said quietly, “They killed his father. Fixx just confirmed it.”

Dead silence. Oh  _ fuck _ .

Jason’s attention snapped back to the kid, and he watched as several security guards walked towards him, guns pointed. They probably said something they thought was witty, like “little early for halloween”, but Jason wasn’t sure.

He  _ was _ sure that he just watched the kid fall backwards off the building before gliding away, and within seconds, the alarms in the building were going off.

“Show-off…” Jason muttered quietly, but there was a slight smile on his face. His helmet HUD lit up with the location of the shipment and the location of the batsuit.

“Hood, you and Bateleur head for the shipment area. B’s gonna handle the batsuit situation. Be careful, you two, the place is  _ crawling _ with guards.”

“You got it, O.” Jason stood. “Tell B not to be  _ too _ hard on the kid. He’s got spunk.”

“He’s a thief,” Damian retorted.

“Yeah. A thief with spunk.”

“I hate you.”

“Love you too, Lil’ B.”

\---

“McGinnis, can you hear me?”

Terry nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden voice. He turned around, looking frantically for the source of it, adrenaline pumping through his veins.

“Who-- Who’s that?”

“It’s Wayne. Bruce Wayne.”

“Mr. Wayne? Wh--Where are you?” Terry asked, glancing around the area again. There was  _ no _ way he would’ve missed an old guy like Bruce Wayne following him, formerly Batman or no.

“There’s a radio receiver in your cowl.” Wayne said, and Terry was suddenly very glad that Bruce  _ wasn’t _ there, and that the batsuit covered his face, which was going hot with embarrassment. “Listen here, McGinnis. I’m asking nicely, only because I know you’re a kid, and kids are prone to doing  _ stupid _ things, but I want that suit back, and I want it now.”

“Uh,” Terry said, crouching behind the crates further as he watched several guards enter the storage room. “Now’s not really a great time.”

As the guards went further, Terry ran further into the area, sliding over boxes with ease as Bruce continued to berate him .

“That suit is  _ not _ yours! You had no right--”

“Somebody had to do  _ something _ , and I wasn’t just gonna sit around and hope for the best,” Terry hissed, then, after a breath, “Listen, something happened, and I didn’t know what else to do, okay? I’ll explain later.”

“McGinnis, I’m warning you…”

Terry ignored Bruce, something he was probably going to get into the habit of if he kept this up. Instead, he focused on keeping out of the guard’s sight, watching them maneuver around. He slinked back slightly, and made an executive decision: there was no way he was getting out of there without having to fight.

“There! I saw him over there!” One of the guards called out, and Terry quickly flipped his way up and into the air, just in time for them to shoot at nothing. Expanding his wings, he glided towards them with enough force to knock all three of them to the ground. He glided his way back up, perching himself on top of a large loading crane. 

“This suit works even better than I thought it would,” Terry said, a wide smile on his face. Fighting like this was better than any fight Terry had ever been in before, giving him a rush that he couldn’t even get back when he was looking for it on the streets. 

“This is your last chance to return the suit or explain. Better take it.”

“No thanks,” Terry said, barely dodging out of the way of the blaster-fire before adding, semi-sarcastically, “Havin’ too much fun.”

“Fun, huh?” Bruce said, barely audible in Terry’s earpiece. His tone made it sound like he was smiling, and it made Terry shiver slightly, but he couldn't focus on that. 

_ Fight first, be concerned about Bruce Wayne’s wrath later. _

He descended from the crane with a grace that was previously unknown to him, using his own weight to kick one guard to the ground, quickly punching out the other two. He managed to dodge another as they ran up behind him, and Terry watched as he hit the floor. Two guards rose to their feet, and Terry did nothing more than taunt them.

_ Let them come. _

The guard from before suddenly got to his feet, shoving the other two to the side, loudly exclaiming that  _ he _ was gonna take down the Bat, and Terry barely held back a laugh. The two began to circle, but before Terry could throw a punch, it felt like every nerve in his body was on fire as his muscles suddenly locked up. He couldn’t move.

“What the hell-- What did you  _ do _ ?” Terry hissed into his communicator. He was a sitting duck, and he  _ really _ didn’t appreciate that.

“Failsafe. It paralyzes the suit, in case the wrong person gets their hands on it.”

“But you can’t.” Terry whispered, fear quickly replacing any ounce of confidence he had before.

“I just did.” Bruce replied, smug, and Terry couldn’t tell if he  _ liked _ that Terry was afraid, or if he hadn't noticed. Terry turned to look at the guard, and though he couldn’t see under the helmet, Terry was fairly sure the jerk was smiling as he shoved Terry to the ground. He let out a soft grunt, followed by several more pained ones as the other guards rose to their feet, kicking him until one guard told them to move.

Suddenly, Terry was face-to-face with the muzzle of a gun. His breath hitched.

“They’re gonna kill me…” Terry whispered, eyes wide and locked onto what was surely going to be his end, because Wayne wouldn’t care about some delinquent who stole his stuff, and then someone would have to try to explain to his mom and brother that he was found in Gotham Harbor wearing someone  _ else’s _ batsuit--

Suddenly, his muscles relaxed, and the feeling of strength surged back through him. Electricity sparked over his skin, and he managed to even clench a fist. He smirked, letting out an exclamation of mixed joy and relief.

Instantly, he fired a batarang out of his wrist, knocking away the guard who had the gun pointed at him before he leapt to his feet, using a roundhouse to kick away all the other guards. He punched several more away, but as he watched a  _ lot _ more guards round the corner, he realized that, even with the suit, he was outnumbered.

So, he ran, leaping around the boxes, knocking some over to try and get the off his tail. Gunshots echoed behind him as he slipped into the shadows, watching and hiding as they searched for him.

“I gave you a break, but you  _ need _ to return the suit.  _ Now _ .”

“Honestly, I’d love to, but I got these guards all over me.”

A pause.

“There’s a broom closet on the north wall. Can you get to it?”

“A broom closet?” Terry asked, “Are you serious?”

“Just  _ do it _ .” Bruce growled, and Terry decided it would be best to  _ not _ ignore him that time. Especially considering he could hear the guards closing in. He quickly swooped into the ajar door, shutting it behind him as he looked around the small space, hoping to find something he could use against the guards. 

_ Nothing. Great. _

“Now I’m a sitting duck,” Terry said sourly. “Hope you’re happy.”

“You see the far wall? Put your hand against it and press hard.”

Terry raised an eyebrow (not that Bruce could see it), but did as he was told, pleasantly surprised when the wall flipped into a different room before replacing itself, as if nothing awesome and secretive had just happened.

“Cool… How’d--”

“A former rogue helped build the original building before Powers took it over. Gave Batman the schematics in case anything ever happened.”

“So that means you’d know where they’d be loading a hover transport?”

“Forget it. You’re coming back here with that suit.”

“Powers is shipping out that virus  _ tonight _ ! He has to be stopped--”

“Bateleur and Red Hood are there. They can handle it.”

“I can help!”

“I’ll shut down the suit again,” Bruce threatened with a soft growl, “For good, this time.”

“Mr. Wayne,  _ please _ . They… They stole the evidence disk back. I don’t know how, but they knew I had it. They killed my dad over it, and they might kill me, or my mom, or even my brother. They’re going to  _ keep _ hurting innocent people, and I can’t… I can’t just stand by and watch the world go to shit anymore! I  _ won’t _ !” Terry’s voice cracked on the last word, his hands gripping the guardrail of the ledge he was standing on within the room. He took a soft, steadying breath before finishing, “I won’t let them get away with it. This is my  _ one _ chance to nail them.  _ Please _ .”

There was silence over the line, and Terry sighed. He was waiting for the feeling of his muscles locking up, for a total loss of control until one of the “real” heroes could come and get him. He would be brought back to the Manor, forced out of the suit, and probably sent to jail. His mom was going to be pissed, and his father, from wherever he was, would probably look on in shame.

_ Some son I am.  _

“The Hover Pads are in the North-East Sector. Red Hood and Bateleur are already on their way there. I’ll let them know you’re coming, too.”

For a moment, Terry didn’t understand, but as soon as his brain caught up, he couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his face if he tried. Nor could he help himself from flipping forward in an over-dramatic fashion.

“Wish me luck.” He said quietly, running off into the dimly lit area.

“Good luck.” Bruce said quietly before switching frequencies.

\---

By the time Terry got where he needed to be, Bateleur and Red Hood were just arriving as well, the two perching themselves just next to Terry in silence. He could practically  _ feel _ the annoyance emanating from the former, but he wasn’t sure what Hood was thinking.

“Glad you two could make it. I thought you’d be here sooner, being the experienced ones and all.” Terry whispered, which caused Bateleur to level him with a glare that probably would’ve made a bull stop in its tracks.

“If  _ someone _ had not alerted all the guards, we would have.” He hissed. Red Hood chuckled through the comms at both of them.

“C’mon Lil’ B, don’t be so hard on ‘im. I mean, remember how  _ your _ first solo mission as Bateleur went?”

“Perfectly, and without a hitch.”

“Didn’t you blow up two warehouses in the docks?”

“It was  _ fine _ .”

“Sure, whatever you say, Lil’--”

“ _ There _ .” Terry hissed at both of them, his eyes landing on Powers. His suit allowed for him to zoom in on the man, and it was obvious he was on the phone. 

“What’s he saying?” Hood asked, and Terry instantly held out two fingers towards him, Powers’ voice coming through his suit with absolute clarity.

“--ou said he wouldn’t be a problem, and now there’s  _ three _ of them.” A pause. “Well,  _ deal  _ with it, then.”

“Almost done loading.” Fixx said, approaching Powers as the other man hung up.

“The sooner, the better. Not only have they not found our trespasser yet, he’s apparently got  _ friends _ . I don’t want them interfering with this,  _ especially _ if they are who the guards thought they were.”

“Look!” A voice called out, causing all three vigilantes to swing their heads towards the sight of the approaching guards, “There they are!”

“Shit,” Hood muttered, “Alright kid, action time. Show us what you’re made of!”

And with that, the two older men jumped from their ledge, and Terry couldn’t help the cocky smile that grew on his face. He all but zeroed-in on Powers, ignoring the shots from the guards as he jumped off the ledge, gliding towards the man with the grace of a bird.

_ Well, bat is probably more accurate now, huh? _

Terry vaguely saw Red Hood and Bateleur make quick work of several guards, but there was still an entire line of them firing. He made a quick detour, avoiding their oncoming fire as he swung himself to the side and  _ shoved _ into them, knocking them all over.  _ Now _ he could deal with Powers. 

As he approached, both Fixx and Powers backed up slightly, Terry landing right in front of them with a cold glare he  _ hoped _ matched Bateleur’s in strength. 

“You’re out of business as of now!” Terry declared, unsure of what else to do. You’d think he’d have rehearsed what he was going to say to his father’s killer, but, like with many things in his life, he was flying by the seat of his pants. “And as for  _ you _ , Fixx--”

“Kid, look out!”

Terry whirled around just in time to see the metal arm of a loader crash into him, flinging him to the side like a ragdoll. It probably would’ve broken something, if it weren’t for the suit. He heard Powers shout at Fixx to get the hovercraft into the air, but as Terry moved to pursue them, the same loader came towards him and grabbed him by the waist and began to  _ squeeze _ .

He  _ definitely _ would’ve had some broken hips if it weren’t for the suit.

He reached blindly for a batarang, flinging it forwards so that it would smack the operator in the face, knocking the man out almost instantly. Out of the corner of his eye, Terry  _ thought _ he saw Bateleur look mildly surprised while putting away his own projectile, but that didn’t matter. What  _ mattered _ was stopping the shipment and, more importantly, stopping Powers.

Powers, the man with a gun who took advantage of the brief pause to start shooting at him.

Terry flipped his way to safety, using a nearby crane for cover. He was almost instantly joined by Red Hood, who fired a couple warning shots back from his own gun before ducking down next to Terry.

“So, first mission, how’re you liking it?” Hood asked, as if they weren’t being shot at by Powers and a few stray guards. Terry could hear Bateleur fighting, and he briefly saw the vigilante actually running up and towards the hovercraft as the cargo doors closed.

“Beats doing math homework, that’s for sure.” Terry replied, a slight smirk on his face that was quickly wiped away by the sound of Powers shooting again.

“Math ho-- Wait a sec, how old  _ are _ you?”

“Seventeen?”

“You gotta be fuckin’ kidding me,” Hood said, firing off more shots, “How the fuck does this keep  _ happening _ ?”

Terry didn’t ask what Red Hood meant by that, instead attempting to throw a batarang to disarm the evil CEO. Powers shot it like he was shooting skeet before slowly making his way over. Jason moved to fire again, but Powers was quicker, taking a shot that had Jason ducking and swearing. It was close.  _ Too _ close.

Terry grabbed Hood by the collar, pulling the older vigilante back behind a pallet with a  _ single _ container on it. Terry watched carefully as Powers neared and, after shoving Hood as far back as he could, Terry took the container and threw it at Powers. Powers was quick, but this time, it wasn’t a good thing.

Neither Terry nor Hood were inclined to  _ really _ see the stuff in action, so instead, they ran off, Terry gliding upwards towards the hovercraft, Hood grappling away into the night.

“I’m going to help Bateleur take down the shipment,” Terry said into the comms, heading towards the rising vehicle. Bateleur must’ve already gotten inside, because Terry couldn’t see him anywhere. “Thanks for the help, Hood.”

“Yeah… No problem, kid.” Hood said quietly, and Terry thought he almost sounded like he had a smile on his face, “No problem at all.”

\---

As soon as Terry realized the auto-pilot was engaged, and that he didn’t hear any sounds that indicated a struggle, he realized he and Bateleur were probably in trouble. A realization only cemented by the fact that Fixx then punched him into the front window of the hovercraft, cracking the glass and leaving Terry’s head spinning.

Before he had time to collect himself, another punch came, electrified and  _ powerful _ . Whatever it was, the suit wasn’t holding up against it nearly as well as it had other things, and Terry quickly found himself with his back against a wall, Fixx ready to bring down a punch that was probably  _ really _ going to hurt. 

Terry managed to grab the first punch, then the second, shoving Fixx back until the two were wrestling for dominance over the situation. Even with the suit’s help, Terry could feel his energy waning. Where the  _ hell _ was Bateleur?

“You’re pretty strong for some  _ clown _ who thinks he’s  _ Batman _ .” Fixx taunted, and didn’t  _ that _ set Terry off. He didn’t even know  _ why _ , but it did. It  _ pissed _ him off that Fixx assumed he wasn’t Batman.

“I  _ am _ Batman.” Terry growled, his anger allowing him to summon the last bit of energy he had to shove Fixx into the control console, the man crying out in agony as the panel fried. Terry knew he had to run, that the ship was out of control, but all his energy was sapped, and he found himself falling back, at the mercy of gravity and all that other junk he learned about in physics.

At least, until a strong, protective arm grabbed him before he could be flung past the ladder in the cargo bay. Terry watched as the various canisters of nerve gas became unhinged, but before he could worry about it, he was being pulled up and out of the hovercraft, and after that, Terry couldn’t remember anything but inky blackness and a distant voice.

_ “You’re no Batman, McGinnis… But you did well.” _

\---

Terry woke up to the sound of his mother knocking at his door and calling his name.

His first reaction was, understandably, mild panic. The last thing he remembered, he had won the fight against Fixx, and then… He was home? How did he get home?

_ Bateleur. Right. _

Terry’s mom opened the door, a soft smile on her face. Terry rubbed the sleep from his eyes, trying to keep the confusion from showing on his expression.

“Wha…”

“Hurry up and get dressed,” his mother said, “We have company.”

“Company?” Terry asked, rubbing the back of his head uncomfortably.

“Mr. Damian Wayne. He’s here to see you!”

_ What? _

Terry wasn’t sure if what was happening was a dream or not, but based on how  _ sore _ and  _ exhausted _ he was, he was leaning towards  _ not _ . He quickly got dressed, throwing on his favorite shirt and pants, not bothering with the jacket. By the time he got out to the living room, his mother was serving Damian a nice, warm cup of something. Probably coffee, if he knew his mom.

“I’m sorry we don’t have any tea, but I’ve been told I make a nice pot of coffee,” Terry’s mom said, a soft smile still on her face. “We’re also out of cream, so I used milk instead. I hope that’s alright.”

“It’s perfect, ma’am. I actually prefer it,” Damian said, and as Terry entered the room, the two turned to him with smiles on both of their faces. It was…  _ weird _ , seeing Damian with a pleasant smile. “Oh, Terrence! I apologize for getting you up so early.”

“It’s uh… It’s okay.” Terry said awkwardly, putting his hands into his pockets as he shrugged. What was Damian Wayne doing in his house? 

“You never told me you knew the Waynes,” his mother said. 

It was in that tone that said “you’re keeping secrets from me, and I don’t appreciate it, but there is a guest here so I’m being civil”. He hadn’t heard that tone since he was thirteen, a few months before his birthday and a few more before he ended up in juvie. Terry and Damian exchanged a look, and Terry could see the coldness in Damian’s eye flash.

“Actually, I, uh--”

“My father owes this young man his life,” Damian said, “He fended off a bunch of hooligans, and helped ensure my father’s safety. We wanted to reward him, but he refused. He said that helping someone was reward enough.”

Terry couldn’t help the surprised expression from crossing his face. Damian’s smile seemed more like a smirk at that.

“Mr. Wayne here said he wants to offer you a  _ job _ , Ter.”

“A job?” Terry questioned, arching an eyebrow at Damian. The older man was still smiling, but his voice took a more serious tone.

“It’s not much, mind you. See, my father finds that, in his old age, he could use a part-time assistant, someone who could lighten the load for his children. I believe he called you a ‘gofer’. As in, ‘go for this, go for that’. An…  _ ally _ , as it were.” Damian looked at Terry seriously, his smile dropping slightly, “Would you be interested?”

“Of course he would!” Terry’s mom answered before he could, “Wouldn’t you, honey? I mean, working with the Wayne family, how amazing would that be?”

Terry smiled slightly at his mom, then at Damian. If this was what Terry thought it was… How could he say no?

“Sure.” Terry answered, and his mother beamed.

“I must warn you, my father, despite his jovial nature, can be a difficult taskmaster. A trait he and I share,” Damian stood, setting his coffee down onto the coffee table as he did, looking at Terry gravely. This warning was as real as it could get. “We accept nothing short of excellence from all who work with us.”

“I think I can handle it.” Terry said, his smile turning to something of a cocky smirk. Damian’s face flickered into a scowl for a moment before returning to that warm business-smile. The older man held out a hand.

“Very good then, Mr. McGinnis. Welcome to our world.”

With a single handshake, Terry’s world was forever changed.

\---

The ride to the Manor had been, thankfully, a silent one, with Damian driving and Terry sitting in the backseat, staring out the window as they made their way through the winding roads up to Wayne Manor.

It was nighttime by the time they got there, having spent most of the day working out the details of Terry’s “official” job and the rest at Wayne Towers, mostly so he could get an idea of how they operated in public in case they  _ all _ needed to make an appearance. The last couple of times he had been to the Manor, it had been stormy, a darkened sky and tumultuous atmosphere. Now, for the first time, Terry could see the faint glimmer of stars in the night sky.

There was probably something symbolic about that, but literary analysis had never been Terry’s strong suit.

“Hey, Ace,” Terry greeted as the dog all but bounded towards him, wagging his tail happily as Terry scratched his head. “Miss me?”

“For some reason…” Damian muttered, but Terry ignored him. It was getting much easier to do that.

The trio entered the front door of the manor, Damian and Ace leading Terry through the large mansion until they stopped in front of a pair of double doors. Terry raised an eyebrow in question, and Damian rolled his eyes, sighing as he opened them to reveal a rather large sitting room.

A rather large sitting room full of people, most of whom Terry only recognized from magazines or newscasts.

“Welcome back, Terry,” Bruce said, sitting in a rather ornate chair at the center of the group, “I think it’s time you met the family.”

**Author's Note:**

> comments nd kudos are always appreciated, and come check me out on tumblr!
> 
> dc: gothamhell.tumblr.com  
> main: fandom-trash224.tumblr.com


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